japantimes

Five out of the 35 Indonesians who passed Japan's qualification examination in March to serve as care workers for the elderly and disabled have returned home, an increase from the initially announced two, the health ministry said Friday.
The newly added three Indonesians have also expressed hope to go back to Indonesia, despite their success in the exam, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

When Daymond Langkow beat Jonathan Quick on a breakaway and celebrated Phoenix's first lead in the Western Conference finals, captain Dustin Brown was almost curious how his Los Angeles Kings would respond to the first serious adversity they've faced in weeks.
Their answer told Brown that this unbelievable bunch of Kings is almost ready to play for the Stanley Cup.

Show on Italian great Tramonti in Nishinomiya
The Otani Memorial Art Museum in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, is hosting Japan's first exhibition of ceramicist Guerrino Tramonti through May 27.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said an H-IIA rocket was launched early Friday carrying four satellites, including one from South Korea.
The first H-IIA rocket to carry a foreign satellite lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, at 1:39 a.m. About 16 minutes later, the Arirang 3, a multipurpose observation satellite developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, parted with the rocket at an altitude of about 680 km.

I've heard many excuses for the nuclear accident that happened as a result of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, followed by reasons why we should return to nuclear power. I don't buy any of them.
1. "We were unprepared for March 11."

Innovative attempts to raise tiger fugu in water originating from hot springs have been a great success in Nagano Prefecture.
The "tora" (tiger) puffer fish, bred in spring water normally used to fill the "onsen" at the foot of the Akaishi Mountains in the city of Iida, have recently grown large enough for shipment.

Toyota Motor Corp. will increase the amount of electricity it can produce on its own at its major plants in Aichi Prefecture out of concern over possible power shortages because of the shutdown of all nuclear plants nationwide, a company official said.
The leading automaker will raise the level of electricity provided by its generators at plants in Aichi Prefecture to 30 percent, from 20 percent now, by installing eight natural gas-powered cogeneration systems by September, the official said Thursday.

Juan Mata hopes to take the first step towards a unique hat trick when Chelsea plays Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on Saturday.
No player has ever won the European Cup/Champions League, the European Championship and Olympic gold. Unless Stuart Pearce selects some of Chelsea's English contingent for Team GB which is extremely unlikely, Spain midfielder Mata is the only player in 2012 with chance of going into the history books by being the first player to complete an unprecedented treble.

The Japan men's volleyball team got off to a losing start in Pool A action in the World League on Friday night, going down in straight sets to Cuba.
Led by Leon Venero Wilfredo's 19 points, the Cubans, ranked fifth in the world, prevailed 25-22, 28-26, 25-20 to leave home fans disappointed at Hamamatsu Arena.

Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni on Friday recalled CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda and also picked Borussia Dortmund's Shinji Kagawa in a 23-man squad for next week's World Cup qualifying warmup against Azerbaijan in Shizuoka.
Zaccheroni also named Inter Milan defender Yuto Nagatomo and Bolton Wanderers striker Ryo Miyaichi among 10 European-based players for next Wednesday's game, which serves as a tuneup ahead of three final-round World Cup qualifiers in June against Oman, Jordan and Australia in Asian zone Group B.

For Okinawa comedian Masamitsu Kohatsu, Aug. 13 is synonymous with the 9/11 terrorist attack in the United States.
Aug. 13, 2004, was the day a U.S. transport helicopter from the Futenma air station in the city of Ginowan crashed on the campus of Okinawa International University, injuring its crew.

When observing the history of Okinawa, one can't ignore the fact that since before World War II it has produced more emigrants than any other prefecture except Hiroshima.
People of Okinawan origin currently account for more than 10 percent of the 2.7 million Japanese immigrants and their descendants overseas.

The government on Friday raised its overall assessment of the economy for the first time in nine months, due primarily to recovering domestic consumption and exports, while also expressing concern over signs of a slowdown in China.
The economy "is on the way to recovery at a moderate pace, reflecting emerging demand for reconstruction (following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami), while difficulties continue to prevail," the Cabinet Office said in its monthly report.

Japan still hopes to conclude military agreements with South Korea to boost security cooperation, despite a delay apparently due to "historical sensitivities," Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba said Friday.
Genba said the importance of bilateral security cooperation in East Asia is "increasing" and he will continue to seek the accords.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic overcame a poor first set and a smashed racket to beat Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday.
Also through at Foro Italico were five-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena and Venus Williams and French Open champ Li Na. However, top-ranked Victoria Azarenka withdrew with a right shoulder injury.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is determined to end a tumultuous year in style on Saturday after a roller-coaster season which has veered from exile to the brink of Champions League glory.
Three months ago, Lampard's Chelsea career appeared to be drawing inexorably to a close, with the 33-year-old left on the bench as the Blues crashed to a 3-1 first leg defeat against Napoli in the last 16.

Saitama Prefecture said Friday night it has halted water intake and supply at one of its filtration plants after hazardous formaldehyde exceeding limits was detected in tap water there, while neighboring Chiba Prefecture said it has stopped water intake at two plants after detecting the substance.
The water at the plants was taken from the Tone River and one of its branches, the Edo River, the prefectural governments said.

The morning of May 21 will give many people a opportunity to start becoming interested in the universe and science. An annular eclipse of the sun can be observed in large areas of Japan along the Pacific around 7:30 a.m. that day.
If weather conditions are good, as many as 83 million people will be able to witness the phenomenon. And in other areas, a partial eclipse will be visible.

A 63-year-old Tokyo man was arrested Friday after chopping off the left arm of an Utsunomiya real estate agency head with a samurai sword and seriously wounding two others.
Hifumi Kuwada was arrested in the alleged attempted murder of Katsumi Jitsukata, 65, president of Daikyo Home, and two employees, wielding a sword with a 70-cm blade. Kuwada has confessed, police said.

Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho exacted swift revenge over bogey man Kisenosato on Friday, producing a power-packed display to blow the title race wide open heading into the final weekend of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
Defeat dropped Kisenosato into a three-way share of the lead at 10-3 with veteran Mongolian Kyokutenho and fourth-ranked Tochiozan at the 15-day basho, at Ryogoku Kokugikan while Hakuho (9-4) revived his hopes of a 23rd Emperor's Cup, despite wrestling with a fractured finger. Rank-and-filers Okinoumi and Aoiyama are tied with Hakuho in second place.